Aiming Arrows at an Audience Bulls Eye

Retail audiences come in all shapes and sizes, but savvy retailers know you can't home in on a precise target without a strong “bow and arrow” strategy aimed at a clearly defined bull's eye.

In today's digital world where each and every one of us, including our customers and prospects, is more than familiar with daily sensory overload, retail marketers have come to understand that for their marketing and advertising efforts to resonate they must be relevant to the specific audience they're working to influence. In other words, to be successful, retail marketers must take aim at a clear target with a well-honed arrow.

Digital place-based media (DPBM) presents an ideal way to do this in a highly efficient manner. DPBM refers to the use of ads and other relevant content on specialized TV networks that target consumers out of the home along their path-to-purchase.

Known for its mass scale and ability to reach consumers in a captive setting, DPBM is able to deliver relevant content to a wide range of consumers. When taking it to a more granular level and factoring in audience demographics in particular retail settings (for example, age, race, and location), as well as the various behaviors of these audiences while they're out and about—shopping, dining and socializing—DPBM is able to deliver extremely targeted content.

One salient example is targeted advertising networks geared toward Hispanics or male millennials (adult males between the ages of 18 and 34). These two audiences, which are at the forefront of consumer spending trends today, are proving to be very valuable to retailers across the globe. Utilizing DPBM strategies retail marketers can more effectively place the right message in front of these audiences at the right time to drive brand preference and sales. Here are a few ways how:

Target audiences with culturally relevant content

Delivering messages and incentives that clearly demonstrate an understanding of what is important to a particular demographic goes a long way toward developing an emotional connection with that audience. For example, don't advertise in English if you could create a deeper connection using Spanish in your ads. Hispanics tend to shop as a family, often bringing extended family members such as grandparents, cousins, and siblings with them. Thus, ads should communicate to families and address their concerns—like budgetary constraints, frequent parties, or large gatherings—as a unit.

Male millennials, on the other hand, are keen to be at the forefront of new trends. They like to try the latest and greatest products and are likely to watch a new movie on opening day or purchase a new gadget or device before it has become mainstream. They also tend to be heavy mobile users while shopping. Utilizing DPBM networks to activate a mobile campaign in conjunction with an ad, lends a natural transition for these fast-moving consumers.

As previously mentioned, Latinos often shop as a family. They also enjoy immersing themselves in the store atmosphere. In addition to delivering targeted content, place-based media advertising can also be a valuable tool for enriching the in-store experience. Hispanic consumers like to touch and try products before they buy and often judge a product by the quality of its packaging. All of these factors should be considered when creating advertising content targeted to this segment.

When working to engage male millennials, play to their dominant use of mobile devices, as well as their tendency to interact and share information on social networks. Place-based media advertisements should compel them to interact with their phones—prompting them to cast a vote in a poll or appealing to their sports affinities by connecting them to a real-time sports quiz. Once this interaction takes place, provide a method for sharing the activity with their social connections to significantly amplify the message. As mentioned, this audience is keen on being first to try the latest and greatest, so be sure your campaigns give them the impression that they're at the forefront of something new and trendy.

Understand where your audience dwells

When targeting an audience bull's eye, it's critical to know where that particular demographic lives and shops. The Hispanic audience, for example, tends to be concentrated in areas like Los Angeles and other parts of California, the Southwest (Texas and other border states), and the northeast (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut), while male millennials are more heavily concentrated on both the Western and Eastern sides of the country, primarily in urban centers. Effectively reaching these audiences with well-targeted place-based media campaigns should take this location information into account.

In addition to geographic locations, understanding the places target consumers tend to shop—be it big-box retail, high-end stores, fast food/quick-service restaurants, or convenience stores—is key. To drive success find the networks that provide the scale to deliver to these specialized locations and ensure your ads appear.

Taking these steps into consideration when working to reach specific audiences will give you the ability to form stronger, more personal relationships with key consumer segments. A well thought out DPBM bull's eye approach will strengthen brand affiliation, drive sales, and ensure you hit your target every time.

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